Everyone has a fragrance journey. Mine’s pretty well-documented—on my bathroom ledge and on these digital pages. Clinique Happy, Gucci Rush and Michael Kors got me through high school. I moved on to Stella McCartney in college. Le Labo Rose 31, Gaiac 10, and Byredo Accord Oud spoke to me in my 20s… I still have the empty bottles all lined up under my top shelf and occasionally reach to smell the jars, just as a reminder of sorts. All those memories and smells, I like to think, have led me to this place—this day where I get to introduce the world to Glossier’s first fragrance, Glossier You.
When we first dove into this project, I was fascinated with one thing: the smell of skin. Pheromones, pH, your own personal scent... We kept coming back to the idea that the first fragrance from Glossier would be a skin-smell enhancer first and foremost. Something that was so alchemic it would melt into your skin—not disappear. You know how the neck of your sweater feels after you’ve worn it all day? Nuzzly and warm, sort of sexy, but still comfy. I wanted that, bottled.
Turns out, that means musk (a throughline in my personal fragrance collection already), with the addition of a few less recognizable notes. Specifically ambrette and ambrox, two molecules our perfumers shared a love for (more on that here), which make up that warm, smooth, intriguing base. Actually, Glossier You is mainly made up of base notes on purpose; it lasts longer that way—and lets more of you into its equation. Notes of pink pepper and and iris root are in there, too, to top it off. Just something sparkly to make a good first impression.
But at the end of the day, the notes didn’t so much matter to me. A story: The day that we landed on the iteration that became Glossier You—took us 38 tries—I was in the office pretty late. I’d been holed up in a conference room for a while and when I finally walked out and into the office where our product team was sitting and being surrounded by the smell. That’s it. It was an instant ID. After 30-some tries, when you know, you know.
That’s why we didn’t dream up some huge campaign, with a massive set build and an anonymous face of the fragrance. I don’t want to be taken to the Swiss Alps or the white sand beaches of Tahiti just by smelling this. I’ve been craving something that whispers instead of shouts. And that’s what You is. Just a beautiful bottle carved by our own Laura Yeh, the scent itself, and whatever you have to offer. Simple and personal. Not that I haven’t loved my fragrance journey thus far, but there’s something finite about it. The nostalgia is in the past; it already happened. This is the first fragrance I’ve worn that feels open ended, that it’ll grow with you no matter where you are in your personal evolution. It’s not a closed loop. This is not a finished product. It needs you. It’s the ultimate personal fragrance.
—Emily Weiss
Photographed by Raymond Meier. More on Glossier You here.
